Christian IX (8 April 1818 – 29 January 1906) was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906. He became known as "the father-in-law of Europe", as his six children married into other royal houses; most current European monarchs are descended from him.
He was born in Gottorp as Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck, the son of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck and Louise Caroline, Princess of Hesse. In 1825, his father became Duke of Glücksburg, thus founding the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg line.
Through his mother, Christian was a great-grandson of Frederick V of Denmark, great-great-grandson of George II of Great Britain and descendant of several other monarchs, but had no direct claim to any European throne.
Through his father, Christian was a member of a junior male branch of the House of Oldenburg and a prince of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck/Glücksburg line, a junior branch of the family which had ruled Denmark for centuries (he was a direct male-line descendant of King Christian III of Denmark) and was an (albeit junior) agnatic descendant of Helvig of Schauenburg (countess of Oldenburg), mother
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